North Dakota Preview: Glen Ullin/Hebron
After several down years on the basketball court, the Glen Ullin/Hebron Bearcats won 19 games and secured a third-place finish in Region 7. In the first year of head coach Greg Pruitt, the Bearcats made a big jump. And while…
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Continue ReadingAfter several down years on the basketball court, the Glen Ullin/Hebron Bearcats won 19 games and secured a third-place finish in Region 7. In the first year of head coach Greg Pruitt, the Bearcats made a big jump. And while they lose a huge senior core that included all five starters, there is talent still in the system to maintain success.
KEY RETURNERS: Grant Gerving, Dawson Zuroff
Zuroff is a logical breakout candidate in Region 7 this year after a really nice sophomore season in a key bench role. He’s a terrific athlete who can get up and down the floor, get to the rim, defend and finish plus he’s a strong perimeter shooter. He should ascend into a go-to role this year.
Gerving played rotation minutes as a sophomore too, and looked the part of a player the team could build around the next two seasons. He was one of the team’s best perimeter shooters and a more-than-capable shot-creator last season, and should only produce more in a more heavily-featured role.
STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES: Gunnar Remboldt, Ethan Duppong
Remboldt and Duppong were on the varsity roster last year though neither saw significant minutes as underclassmen. Both guys will likely step into starting roles this winter and have the athleticism to fit the Bearcats’ uptempo and pressure style of play.
QUESTION: Is the success gone with the outgoing seniors?
Glen Ullin/Hebron had an awesome season last year on the backs primarily of a terrific group of seniors who had played a lot of varsity basketball. Now that the core is gone, what keeps the success going? There are a few holdovers from last year in Zuroff and Gerving, but was last year’s jump an isolated jump because of one class? Or was it the start of something?
SEASON OUTLOOK
The Bearcats won 19 games and looked like a real challenger to Beulah and Dickinson Trinity in Region 7. They may not return as much talent as those teams, but they should be solid again in 2019-20. They’ve got good athletes primed for breakout campaigns and a coach who is building up the talent base, as he did at Heart River.